Getting Fixed Up
by roothlace
Summary: Rachel decides to ask Frank on a date
1. Asking Frank

_The Bodyguard_ doesn't belong to me

A mix of the film and the musical

**Getting Fixed Up**

Rachel Marron stood in the window and watched as Frank Farmer, her bodyguard she still couldn't believe she had one of those, took yet another walk outside the house. She still wasn't sure she needed a bodyguard but Bill had insisted and even Sy, who usually disagreed with him, had said that it was necessary for her to have Frank around.

She didn't like Frank Farmer, he thought he knew what she needed and he didn't listen to her at all. That was he handsome, very fit _and_ right certainly didn't make her feel any better. She didn't want to admit that he was right about _anything._

The thing which had her watching him for the second morning in a row, though, was the troubling fact that somehow, unreasonably, she was attracted to him. It obviously had everything to do with the fact he was very nice to Fletcher, spending hours with the boy, and nothing to do with the fact that he was handsome and had a sense of humour, and definitely nothing to do with the fact that although he was always there watching her, they had yet to have a non-confrontational conversation.

Yes, Rachel tried to convince herself, she was watching Frank Farmer only because she was bored and hadn't been on a date in a long time.

She stood at the window for a moment longer and then made up her mind. She would ask him and really he was a grown man, he didn't have to agree if he didn't want and Rachel herself was a grown woman and could handle rejection. At least she hoped she could.

000

By the time she made her way downstairs Frank was in his office working. She knocked on the half-open door and entered and sat down without waiting for an invitation.

'What changes have you come to complain about today?' he asked her.

'Is that why you think I'm here?' Rachel asked him, 'to complain?'

'It's all you ever do.' Frank replied.

Rachel narrowed her eyes and looked at him, she wondered for a moment whether to get up and storm out of the room like she usually did but remained seated and smiled at him instead.

Frank watched her smile slowly and knew that whatever had brought Rachel to his door, he wasn't sure he was ready for it.

'I have this little problem,' Rachel told him.

'Yes?'

'You're my bodyguard, right,' she began, 'so you have to go with me everywhere I go.' She paused, looked down and then looked at him again. 'What if somebody asks me out for an evening, a man you know, are you gonna come to?'

Frank didn't reply.

'What if my date asks me to his place afterwards,' she continued, 'are the three of us gonna go back together?' she laughed awkwardly and then added, 'I think it would be very weird…so here's what I was thinking… since you have to be with me everywhere, why do we go out, you and I, for a date, you know just to hang out?'

Rachel finished talking and looked at Frank who was just staring at her his expression blank. She probably shouldn't have asked him but it was too late now.

'Frank, only if you want to,' she told him, 'you and I can spend some time …like on a date,' she paused and added again for good measure, 'but only if you want to.'

Rachel couldn't say that Nikki's timing always sucked but seeing her sister at Frank's office door at that moment, reminding her of some work she had yet to finish without hearing Frank's response really made her want to shout at her but as she stood up and left the room she thought to herself; maybe it was better that Frank hadn't responded. It was better to have no answer than to be rejected outright.

000

Frank watched Rachel leave the room and turned his attention to Nikki who had brought his jacket back to him, all cleaned and pressed. Nikki was really a very nice person and while he usually enjoyed talking to her, admittedly mostly about Rachel, he found that talking about Rachel today after what had just happened wasn't enough, he wondered how to politely get rid of Nikki but luckily his phone rang.

000

Frank couldn't believe Rachel had asked him on a date. It wasn't that he was unused to women being the aggressors, not that Rachel was that but still she had asked him on a date.

The thing that was troubling him the most though was how tempted he was to say yes. He'd had wanted to say yes immediately. Then all his training came back. He was here to do a job, not to socialise and certainly not to get attached to his client.

And yet he had never wanted to say yes more in his life.

000


	2. Saying Yes

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000

Frank quickly left the table after supper and made his way back to his room. It seemed to him that he hadn't had a moment to himself since Rachel had asked him out. He needed time – more time – to think about it.

He was almost sure Rachel had only asked him out because of the reasons she'd given him. He needed to be around her all the time which would make her going out on a date awkward but he refused to believe that that was the only reason. She wouldn't have asked him out if she wasn't interested in him, would she?

He had just shut the door behind him when he heard a knock.

"Hi, Frank. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Frank smiled at Fletch. "No, of course not."

"See, Ma, I told you that he wouldn't mind," Fletcher called over his shoulder and Frank looked out and saw Rachel standing further down in the corridor.

"So Fletch," Frank turned to the boy, "how can I help you?"

"You promised to help me with my cars," Fletcher reminded him, "and I was kind of hoping you could do it tonight although Ma said you were probably too busy to do so."

"There are cars to be fixed," Frank said, "I can't be too tired for that, my man."

"Thank you," Rachel said to Frank as he and Fletch went past her to Fletch's room and he nodded in reply.

000

Rachel watched Frank and her son walk past her and sighed inwardly. She was in real danger of falling in love with Frank Farmer. Why couldn't he have brushed Fletch off and refused to help him? Why did he have to be so nice to everyone? She knew, although Nikki had tried to keep it from her, that Frank had gone to hear her sing at that seedy little club she insisted on singing at every week. He seemed to have time for everyone and everything _and_ he managed to look good all the time. If she didn't find it so attractive so would have found it annoying.

_Well, he refused to go out with you,_ she reminded herself_, so maybe he's not so nice after all._

Still, Frank Farmer had wormed himself into their lives and she wondered how they would survive when he left… because he would have to leave eventually.

Everyone did.

000

Frank worked with Fletch for almost two hours until they both agreed that they were too tired to continue and would return to their labours another time.

Without knowing why he found himself walking towards the balcony and he wasn't surprised to find Rachel sitting there staring at the well-lit lawn. He watched her for a while; she hadn't seen him yet and debated with himself about joining her.

_Who was he kidding?_

"Hi," he called out to her.

Rachel turned and smiled at him. "Frank, thanks again for helping Fletch, you know you don't have to."

"He's a great kid," Frank replied, 'I like spending time with him."

"That's my baby."

Frank smiled; he just couldn't help himself.

"So, shopping tomorrow, uh?"

"The first free day I've had in months," Rachel replied, " and there's so much new stuff in my favourite boutique, so nothing, not even grouchy you is going to stop me from enjoying it."

"Really?"

"I hope you're up to the challenge," Rachel told him, "shopping is hard work."

He looked at her, and decided it was now or never. "Rachel, about your suggestion earlier…"

"Yes?"

"I accept."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You accept what?"

He shook his head. Why had he thought she would make it easy for him? "You asked me out on a date, I accept."

"Okay, great."

"But I get to choose the place," he added.

"Why am I not surprised?"

He helped her out of the chair and they made their way back into the house.

000


	3. The Date

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000

"You're taking me to a karaoke bar?" Rachel asked him incredulously. "I thought you said you didn't like singing."

"I didn't say I didn't like singing," Frank replied.

"You know you did," Rachel insisted. "You said and I quote, 'I don't sing'."

"I said that I would be willing to die for you," Frank reminded her, "as your bodyguard because I can't sing."

"So you can't sing but you like going to karaoke bars, uh?"

"It's my friend Joey's bar and since you don't want to be recognised in that get-up," he pointed at her outfit. "It's perfect."

She was wearing a pair of blue jeggings and a sweater; she'd also donned a woolen hat to disguise herself farther. Frank had laughed at her when he'd seen her in the morning and told her that that disguise would only fool the unobservant fans but that she needn't worry because the places he intended to take her wouldn't be frequented by any of her fans.

They had gone to a Japanese film festival where his favourite film was showing, had lunch – a picnic – in the park and now he was taking her to a karaoke bar. Rachel had spent of that time trying to get him to talk about himself but the only things she'd learnt were that he was an only child and that he was close to his father.

She had asked him if he was seeing anyone and his only answer had been a 'no' and he'd refused to expand on that. In fact the only thing that Rachel had found out for certain was that Frank didn't like singing, so of course she was surprised when he drove them to a karaoke bar.

"So Joey's a friend of yours?" Rachel asked him.

"Not exactly," Frank replied, "I met him on a case a few years ago and we became …friendly."

"I see."

"Don't bother asking him anything about me, though," Frank told her, "he's more closemouthed than I am." Rachel had called him that earlier in the day.

They entered the bar and were hit by the sound of one of Rachel's songs 'How Will I Know'. A trio of girls was up on the stage massacring the song. Rachel had never heard such a bad rendition of the song. A man walked up to them and greeted Frank and led them to his 'usual' table.

"So you've protected a lot of important people, haven't you?"

"Some."

"You know Frank; you could have said no if you didn't want to hang out with me."

"What makes you think I don't want to hang out with you?"

"You've shut down every topic of conversation that I've brought up," Rachel told him. "Come to think of it the only time you seemed happy was when we were watching the movie."

"And what does tell you?" he teased her.

"You think I talk too much," Rachel asked him, "don't you?"

"No," he tried and failed to suppress the smile that was forming.

"You do," Rachel insisted. "Everybody does."

"It's not a bad thing," Frank told her.

"Your tone suggests different."

"I'm a quiet guy," he reminded her, "I like to keep things to myself and in my profession that's a plus."

"So you're really not going to tell me anything about yourself?"

"That really bugs you, doesn't it?"

"Only because you know everything about me," Rachel told him.

"I'm sure there are things I don't know."

000

"You seem surprised," Rachel told him.

"I am," Frank admitted.

"Well I have a son," Rachel reminded him, "and we have to have things to talk about."

"So you talk about _Doctor Who_ and _Samurai X_."

"Not _Samurai X_," Rachel told him, "_Rurouni Kenshin_."

"Is there a difference?"

"Apparently" Rachel assured him, "and it's better than talking about other stuff."

"Let me guess…cars," Frank said.

"I can't understand his obsession with them."

"It's a guy thing."

"You wish."

"Okay," Frank conceded. "It's not a guy thing."

They drank in silence and then Rachel said "I must tell you Frank you're not what I expected at all."

"What did you expect?"

"I'm not sure," Rachel replied, "but I definitely didn't expect Japanese movies and karaoke."

"Speaking of," Frank gestured at the stage were a man and a woman were singing 'Summer Nights'.

"No way," Rachel told him.

"Come on, you know you want to," Frank urged her.

"Is that why you brought me here?" Rachel wagged her eyebrows at him. "To make me sing for you?"

"You sing in the house all the time," Frank reminded her. "I don't need to make you sing. But tell you what, I'll sing a song if you sing."

"Really?" Rachel couldn't help the excitement that buzzed through her. "You first."

000

Frank stood on the stage waiting for the intro to end, wondering to himself why he was doing this. He didn't like singing…he couldn't sing and yet here he was humiliating himself for Rachel Marron.

_If I should stay_, he sang

_Well, I would only be in your way_

_And so I'll go, and yet I know_

_That I'll think of you each step of my way_

_And I will always love you_

_I will always love you_

Two couples left their tables and went onto the dance floor and begin to dance.

_Bitter-sweet memories_

_That's all I have, and all I'm taking with me_

_Good-bye, oh, please don't cry_

_'Cause we both know that I'm not_

_What you need_

_But I will always love you_

_I will always love you_

He saw Rachel wince when he went off-key but he continued singing

_And I hope life, will treat you kind_

_And I hope that you have all_

_That you ever dreamed of_

_Oh, I do wish you joy_

_And I wish you happiness_

_But above all this_

_I wish you love_

_I love you, I will always love_

_I will always, always love you_

_I will always love you_

_I will always love you_

Frank left the stage but asked Joey to keep the song playing and asked Rachel to dance.

"You weren't kidding," Rachel told him. "You really can't sing."

"I told you."

"It would have helped if the song you chose wasn't so sad, though."

"You don't like those 'somebody's always leaving somebody' songs?" he pretended to be shocked.

"I'm guessing it's your kind of music."

"It is."

The song ended and Frank took her to choose a song.

"I really shouldn't," Rachel told him. She wasn't going to sing, not today on her day off and besides the only songs she knew were her own.

"A bet's a bet," Frank said. "Unless, of course, you're chicken. And you can one of those songs by that Oscar nominee Rachel something or other." Joey assured her that they had all Rachel Marron's songs and she could choose any she wanted.

Rachel stood up on the tiny stage and began to sing 'I Have Nothing'. Halfway through the song some of the patrons figured out that she really was Rachel Marron and as Frank watched them take pictures and record the singing he could have kicked himself for making her sing at Joey's. Thankfully she was just singing and not doing anything embarrassing.

Luckily the patrons didn't do more than record the singing and take pictures and as soon as Rachel finished he got her out of Joey's. He needed to be more alert when he was with her; there was something about Rachel Marron that made him careless.

000

"So this is your home," Rachel stood in the sitting room looking around, half his stuff was in boxes and he really needed to unpack and organize it. "Definitely not what I expected," she turned around slowly and shook her head, "on the other hand, it's exactly what I expected."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"Really?"

"You're a complicated guy," she told him, "so it stands to reason that - ."

Frank had been watching her talk; he could see her lips moving but he couldn't really hear the words. All he could hear was the beating of his heart.

He moved closer to her and leaned in as if in slow motion and kissed her.

000


End file.
